In this Clear Roads project, researchers developed metrics for comparing the two different forms of salt and conducted a variety of tests to measure their performance.
Check out the most recent episode of the Talkin’ Winter Ops podcast!
Check out the recent news on winter maintenance from around the country!
Estimated budgets and timelines for the seven new Clear Roads research projects have just been published.
Real-time information about a pavement’s surface can help transportation agencies ensure roads have adequate traction and salt is applied only where it’s needed. This Clear Roads project evaluated roadway grip data as a viable source for informing winter maintenance operations, and developed models that use the data to identify the need for salt applications.
Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for seven new research projects. For all projects, the deadline to submit proposals is Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Clear Roads held its fall business meeting last month in Bloomington, Minnesota from September 16-18.
The Mechanical Rocker Test method, originally developed by Nebraska DOT more than a decade ago, was validated through Clear Roads research project 18-06 as a low-cost and repeatable method for determining the efficacy of liquid deicers. As a result of this work, all transportation agencies can objectively compare deicers on the market.
This recently completed Clear Roads synthesis project surveyed member states and other winter maintenance professionals and reviewed relevant literature to help transportation agencies implement effective policies and best practices for properly managing video and image data.
In this episode, Dan Gullickson, supervisor of Minnesota DOT’s Blowing Snow Program, discusses the agency’s processes and best practices for designing effective snow fences.